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NICER News

Latest News

NICERDAS Version 5 released(24 Oct 2018)
The NICER data reduction software Version 5 was released on Oct 23 2018 with the release of
HEASoft 6.25 . NICERDAS 5.0 includes updates to most tasks and includes new task, nicertimeconv, to do basic time conversions.

NICER Guest Observer Program approved by NASA(07 Sep 2018)
NASA has approved a Guest Observer program for NICER. We expect that the Announcement of Opportunity will be released this fall, with proposals due by the end of the calendar year. More information will be posted on the NICER home page when available.

NICER and NuSTAR Identification of X-ray Transient IGR J17591-2342(17 Aug 2018)
Observations by NICER and NuSTAR of the X-ray transient IGR J17591-2342 discovered by INTEGRAL on August 12 show that the new transient is an accreting millisecond pulsar in outburst. The pulsar has a spin frequency of approximately 527 Hz and an orbital period of 0.37 days.

A Rapidly Spinning Black Hole with a Warped Disk(17 Jul 2018)
NICER provides a detailed look at a rapidly-spinning black hole feeding off its companion star.

NASA's NICER Mission Finds an X-ray Pulsar in a Record-fast Orbit(11 May 2018)
Scientists analyzing the first data from the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission have found two stars that revolve around each other every 38 minutes. The discovery bestows the stellar pair with the record for the shortest-known orbital period for a certain class of pulsar binary system.

NICER Archive Opens(08 Mar 2018)
NICER was launched to the International Space Station on June 3, 2017, and began regular observations of celestial sources on July
17, upon completion of its commissioning activities. While
observations to fulfill the mission's baseline science are ongoing,
most data acquired to date -- during an initial validation period
lasting nearly 8 months -- are now available in the public archive
at the HEASARC. The archive includes over 3000 observations that
have been processed with the latest instrument calibration products
and software, also now released, and are accessible through the
HEASARC's archive interfaces. Excluded are datasets for a few
targets, to be released at a later date after evaluation of
long-term calibration stability. Following this initial release, new
observations will be delivered to the archive regularly after a
two-week processing and validation period.

NICER XTI CALDB Updated(05 Mar 2018)
The NICER XTI caldb has been updated to version 20180226. Please make sure you're using the most recent version of the caldb.config file in order to access the NICER XTI CALDB data.

NICER ATEL: Observation of Fast X-ray Flares in GX 339-4(06 Oct 2017)
NICER observed the black hole binary GX339-4 which is currently in outburst. The average hard color (4-12 / 2-4 keV) is near 0.5 or higher, which is harder than the value for Crab (0.25). These results are consistent with the report that GX339-4 is in a faint black hole hard state (Gandhi et al., Atel 10820).

NICER First ATEL: The Hard X-ray transient MAXI J1535-571(22 Sep 2017)
NICER has observed the hard X-ray transient MAXI J1535-571 several times from 2017 September 9 through September 20. The source had a NICER count rate ranging from 3,200 to 17,000 counts per second over this interval. NICER detects a set of low-frequency QPOs in a 1:2 frequency ratio, while the time-averaged spectrum shows broadened iron emission and puts constraints on the black hole spin parameter and the inclination of the accretion disk.

NICER Featured on "Science in Seconds"(08 Sep 2017)
NICER was featured on "Science in Seconds" a short introduction to NICER, with NASA Associate Administrator Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen and Dr. Rita Sambruna, NICER program scientist.

NICER First Light(17 Jul 2017)
NASA's new Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) mission to study the densest observable objects in the universe has begun science operations.
To date, NICER has observed over 40 celestial targets to calibrate the X-ray Timing Instrument and supporting star-tracker camera.
The observations also validated the payload's performance that will enable its key science measurements.

NICER Status Update(30 Jun 2017)
NICER commissioning is underway. Fine alignment of the Star Tracker and X-ray Timing Instrument has been completed. The Thermal system is functioning exactly as expected. NICER has observed a number of celestial targets mostly calibration with some observations of NICER science targets.

NICER Installed on ELC2(14 Jun 2017)
As of June 14, NICER is installed on the ISS Express Logistics Carrier 2 Site 7, and power up of the instrument has begun.

Dragon Captured(05 Jun 2017)
The Dragon capsule carrying NICER was successfully captured by the robotic arm on the ISS a bit ahead of the scheduled capture at 10:00 EDT.

Rendezvous with ISS and Capture(05 Jun 2017)
The Dragon capsule, and NICER, will rendezvous with the ISS this morning. Capture of the capsule by the station's robotic arm is scheduled for 10am EDT, and may be viewed live on NASA TV.

Current NICER launch date: June 1, 2017(23 May 2017)
NICER is currently scheduled for launch to the ISS on SpaceX-11, which is now scheduled for launch on June 1 at 5:55 pm eastern time from the Kennedy Space Center. Backup dates are June 3 (5:04 PM EDT) and 4 (4:44 PM EDT).

News Feature: SpaceX Dragon to Deliver Research - including NICER - to the Space Station(22 May 2017)
SpaceX is scheduled to launch its Dragon spacecraft for its
11th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station on June 1
from Kennedy Space Center's historic pad 39A. Dragon will lift into
orbit atop the Falcon 9 rocket carrying crew supplies, equipment and scientific
research, including the NICER payload, to crew members living aboard the
station. Once affixed to the exterior of the space station, NICER will study
the physics of neutron stars, providing new insight into their nature and
behavior.

NICER launch date update: June 1, 2017(02 May 2017)
NICER is currently scheduled for launch to the ISS on SpaceX-11, which is now scheduled for launch on June 1 at 5:55 pm eastern time from the Kennedy Space Center.

NICER Passes Pre-Ship Review(25 May 2016)
NICER has cleared another major milestone review, and the
flight payload yesterday passed its Pre-Ship Review at Goddard, and will
depart for Kennedy Space Center on June 7. The launch date for NICER is
currently scheduled for February 1, 2017.

Keith Gendreau, the NICER PI, will be in a Google Hangout on March 18, 3pm EDT(16 Mar 2016)
The AAS's "Future in Space Hangout" on March 18 at 3pm EDT will
feature the CATS (Cloud-Aerosol Transport System) and NICER (Neutron star
Interior Composition Explorer) payloads on the ISS, with Keith Gendreau the
NICER PI participating. The hangout will address questions such as how missions
are selected to run on the ISS and what the technical challenges are building
instruments for operation onboard the ISS.

NICER Passes Pre-Environmental Review(14 Dec 2015)
NICER has cleared another major milestone review, and the
nearly-complete flight payload is poised to begin environmental
(electromagnetic, vibration, thermal, etc.) testing. Delivery
to NASA's Kennedy Space Center is anticipated in June 2016 for the
planned August launch.

NICER Manifested on SpaceX-11 ISS Resupply Flight(01 Dec 2015)
Previously scheduled for a December 2016 launch on SpaceX-12,
NICER will now fly to the International Space Station with two other payloads
on SpaceX Commercial Resupply Services (CRS)-11, in the Dragon vehicle's
unpressurized Trunk. Launch is planned for no earlier than 15 August
2016, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

NICER at the HEAD Meeting(17 Aug 2014)
The NICER Special
Session at the 2014 meeting of the High Energy Astrophysics Division
(HEAD) of the American Astronomical Society will be held on
Wednesday, August 20, at 1:30 pm in the Great Lakes Grand Ballroom
of the Westin Michigan Avenue hotel in Chicago. Please join us!

NICER Critical Design Review(16 Aug 2014)
NICER's next step towards launch, the Critical Design Review, is planned for September 2014. NICER remains on-track for launch on the SpaceX-12 ISS resupply flight currently scheduled for October 2016.

Upcoming NICER Presentations Announced(03 Apr 2014)
There will be an overview presentation on the NICER mission design at the SPIE "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2014: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray" conference in Montreal in June, 2014, and NICER science will be the subject of a Special Session at the High-Energy Astrophysics Division (HEAD) meeting in Chicago in August, 2014.

Forward to Phase C(31 Mar 2014)
NICER's engineers and scientists have successfully passed several major project milestones, including a Preliminary Design Review by an independent team of experts, an initial Payload Safety Review by an International Space Station (ISS) panel, and a Confirmation Review at NASA HQ. NICER is now in Phase C

NASA Selects NICER for Development(05 Apr 2013)
NASA's Astrophysics Explorer Program has selected two missions for launch in 2017: a planet-hunting satellite and an International Space Station instrument to observe X-rays from neutron stars, NICER.

NICER/SEXTANT team chosen NASA/GSFC Innovators of the year(02 Dec 2011)
Goddard technologist Keith Gendreau and the NICER/SEXTANT team were named this year's "Innovators of the Year." The Goddard Office of the Chief Technologist bestows the award annually on technologists who exemplify the best in R & D.

NICER helping to Educate the Next Generation of Scientists(24 Oct 2011)
Student involvement in NICER